Fresno restaurant owner Bobby Salazar pleaded not guilty to federal charges of mail fraud and arson related to a 2024 fire that destroyed one of his eateries.

Appearing at the Robert E. Coyle U.S. Courthouse in downtown Fresno on Monday afternoon, Salazar answered to a six-count indictment returned by a grand jury Oct. 23.

Serguel Akiti, the attorney from Atlanta, Georgia, representing Salazar, formally entered the not guilty plea in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara A. McAuliffe. Salazar, accompanied by his wife Lucy Ruiz, did not say anything in court. He declined comment upon exiting the courthouse.

Federal prosecutors accuse Salazar of hiring the leader of a Sanger motorcycle gang and an accomplice $10,000 to burn Bobby Salazar’s Restaurant on Blackstone Avenue in central Fresno.

Salazar collected about $980,000 in an insurance settlement proceeds, court records state.

Federal agents arrested Salazar Aug. 26. He remains out of custody on a $1 million bond.

He also pleaded not guilty to a gun charge — possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number — added after a search of Salazar’s home during the arson investigation.

Salazar is scheduled to return to court for a conference hearing on Jan. 21, 2026.

Salazar’s Alleged Accomplices Also in Court

Salazar’s alleged co-conspirators, Thomas Qualls and Shylo Badiali, also appeared in court. Both previously pleaded not guilty upon their respective indictments.

Qualls filed a motion to be released from custody to attend his father’s funeral.

Badiali motioned to be released from custody until the trial.